Specialized trailers are used to transport munitions and other stores from a storage area to the flight line preparatory to loading them on an aircraft. Munitions such as ammunition, bombs and missiles must be handled with extreme care. The munitions trailer is preferably adaptable to carry a wide variety of such munitions using, as may be necessary, various tie-down mechanisms and cradle structures such as chocks and racks or any combination thereof.
An example of a particular prior art trailer that finds widespread use is one that has a U.S. Air Force designation as the MHU-141 trailer. This trailer has a flat deck convertible between open and closed configurations. The deck is divided into fore and aft decks separated by a pair of doors that extend across the full width of the deck. In the closed, flatbed deck configuration the door panels lie flat, coextensive or flush with the deck surface. In this configuration the trailer is used for more general munitions hauling purposes with the use of various tie-down structures provided.
In the open deck configuration the MHU-141 trailer is configured to haul long bodied munitions such as bombs and missiles. In this configuration the doors are opened 180° so to lie over the adjacent deck area. A deck opening is uncovered between the deck sections. The door panels have mounting rails on the door sides that face up when the doors are opened. Munitions chocks or racks are fastened to the rails when the doors are open for the purpose of holding munitions on the trailer. The chocks and/or racks are located on either side of the deck opening. A loader is used to load and unload bombs and missiles from the trailer. The loader has lifting arms or a platform that lifts the munitions item near its center of gravity sets the munitions item on the trailer so that one end of the munitions item rests on a chock or rack support on the fore deck and the other end on a similar chock or rack support on the aft deck. In loading and unloading the loader lifting structure traverses the deck opening.
Such prior art munitions trailers function satisfactorily for the most part, but the ability of aircraft to carry larger and more varied payloads has created a demand for trailers with a larger capacity. At the same time, the size of the munitions trailer is a factor in terms of maneuverability and transportability.